Following yet another sub-10 second run at the Diamond League event in China on Saturday, Akani Simbine solidified the claims that he is currently the fastest man in the world.
The South African star backed up his recent victory in Botswana when he stormed to victory in the 100m in Xiamen on Saturday in a field that included Kenya star Ferdinand Omanyala, Botswana’s 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, American speedster Christian Coleman and 60m world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu of Britain.
Simbine clocked a time of 9.99. While it was short of the 9.90 world lead he clocked in Botswana, he again showed his class.
“The race felt good. I stumbled a bit after the 60, so I had to catch myself, but happened to catch the wind while catching the win,” Simbine told the Diamond League website afterwards.
“Keep going with the momentum… I am now going back to the basics, (and) putting myself in a position to learn.”
Former US great Justin Gatlin and former Bahamas sprinter Rodney Green praised Simbine for his longevity and consistency on their Ready Set Go podcast after he delivered a sub-10 second 100m for the 11th consecutive year.
“That’s why they call him Mr Consistency. He is consistently in every final, in medal contention almost every time he competes,” Green said.
“He won the bronze in the indoor final this year, something that he doesn’t really compete in a lot. I think that will transition him to the outdoors. Him and his coach have a plan … ‘by hell or by high water, we are getting on this podium’.
The podium Green is referring to is the 100m event at the World Championships to be held in Tokyo, Japan from September 13-21.
The concern with Simbine has always been peaking too early because the South African season starts much earlier than those in the United States and Europe due to our December to February summer season.
However, he showed at last year’s Olympic Games that he can keep his best performances for the Northern Hemisphere summer when he narrowly missed out on the medal in the final of the 100m. But he made up for that when he led the SA 4X100m team to the silver a few days later.
Green says Simbine can go even faster when the world championship comes around.
“His season is so difficult because of where he is in the world. Their summer time is in December and January, so when athletes (in America and Europe) are preparing, they are already ramping up. That is why he can run as fast as he can right now,” Green said.
“Now the question is can he maintain that, because the World Championships are so late. Can he run faster than 9.90? Yes, he has done it a few times.”
Simbine will remain in China for next Saturday’s second Diamond League meeting in Shanghai.
@JohnGoliath82
